The Penn's Grove record., 1887-04-16
Austin gave a gesture Of pleased

Die experience TO Mr.. Austin 10 Turn
out of bed at 4 o'clock in the morning,
ensconce his form in a huge ulster sup
piled by Pinchley, and complete his
disguise with a false beard and a SLOUGH
hat drawn low over his eyes. He break
tasted at the restaurant opposite the en-
CINE house, and, as he hurried through
a tough beef steak and swallowed a
cup of muddy coffee, registered a VOW
to use his influence 18th the stockhold-
ers of the road to bring about a consid-
Grafton of the resolution they had passed
condemning the employees to patronlze
the Teutonic proprietors. Coached by
the superintendent in regard to the
duties of his position, he stepped
jauntily aboard Number IL. as it ran
out of the engine-house. The gripman
of the dummy, a slim, well-knit fellow,
clad in a coarse fustian jacket and a
pair Of unmentionables besmeared with
oil and dirt, a muller around his chin,
and a cap with a broad visor slanted
over his eyes, was happily too much
absorbed in his W duties to observe
the change.
1t was surprising how many people
depended upon the early cars as a
means of conveyance to their places of
business. The man of capital conceived
a new respect for the industry and energy
of his fellow-men. Moreover, he dis
covered the duties Of his position to be
more complex than he had supposed.
The offices of a street car conductor had
always seemed to him light and simple,
and in his capacity as a director of the
road he has been Incorporating in
passing upon any dereliction on the part
of this class of employees. Instead of
dischargiDg his duties with calm and
mechanical exactitude, he found him.
self rushing from one end of the car to
another, in a state of the highest nerv-
Gus excitement, narrowly escaping the
most painful accidents and committing
MINOR blunders untold. If the passen-
gers would only observe some method in
their actions, he told himself that the
whole business would be simpliied.
What possessed people to stand idly
conYersing on the sidewalk until the
car was fairly alongside giving no hint
of their desire to take passage upon it,
\ berating the conductor for his negli-
gence and expecting that the grip would
be instantly loOsed and the swiftly
moving dummy brought to a quick
stop.
And the other class of lunatics, who
frantically signalled for the car to stop
on a steep down grade, expecting it to
release its hold on the cable and cling to
the track with the brakes. Several
times he waited an unconscionable time
for the people to get on the car, tuning
over the delay and wondering what had
become of the Grant passengers, only to
discover that they had taken seats on
the dummy, out of his line of vision.
Twice he narrowly escaped committing
man-slaughter; and every time they
passed Dupont street, swarming with
its blue-frocked herds, it occurred to him
that he was in q fair way of solving the
vexed question of how to discourage
Chinese immigration.
In the midst of his agitation he could
not help casting an occasional glance OF
admiration at the gripman, standing
coolly at his post, his attention concen-
trated upon the performance of his
duty, the athletic figure bent slightly
forward, his keen eyes never ceasing
their earnest scrutiny OF the road.
Number IL pursued an erratic course
that day, running in outrageous defiance
of the timetable, at II moment tread
ing closely on the heels of the "a
ahead. at another making a desperate
forward squirt as it heard the warning
bell of the dummy in the rear. 1t
seemed to Austin that on one occasion as
they passed the office he caught a brief
glimpse of Pinchley's face peeping out
at him with roguish eyes that detected
and enjoyed his misery. But he did not
trouble himself long over this fancy, for
the hour was drawing near when his
suspicion would be verified or disproved,
and he was conscious of q growing
sense of apprehension lest his daugh-
ter's bright eyes should penetrate his
disguise and complete his discontinue.
He even had the craven spirit to wish
that something would detain her at
home in order that he might escape the
trying ordeal.
His prayers were not answered. As
they passed the house on the 2 O'Clock
trip a trim little figure, clad IN a dark,
wine colored dress with a collarette and
muff of seal-skin, ran down the steps
and waved her hand to the conductor.
Mr.. Austin was SO overcome by a guilty
sense of his anomalous position that he
neglected to sound the usual signal for
stopping the car, and was profoundly
grateful to the gripman, who brought
The dummy to q stand-still without
waiting for the bell to ring. Miss Hetty
demurely ensconced herself on one of
the side seats of the dummy, and the
conductor mechanically rang the dotble
signal for starting. The gripman
stood stifiy at his post without respond
ing.
Austin repeated the signal. Still there
was no corresponding motion ON the
part of the engineer. Looking up and
down and across the street in the eXpee-
tation of seeing some passengers whose
approach had been observed by the grip
mans sharp eyes, Austin was enraged
to see that no apparent u existed
for the singular delay. lie sounded an
indignant summons, SIX double rings IN
succession. Low chuckles resounded
throughout the car. A boys sllrill
voice cried out derisively:
"Gollyln Won't he have a pretty bill
to settle to-nightg"
In his nervousness the inexperienced
conductor had been ringing the bell
punch instead of pulling the strap. He
reached up to the latter, gave it a sharp
Jerk and stalked with dignity, to the
platform. where he sat on the rear rail
IN defiance of the rules Of the road and
savagely gnawed his false mustache.
An unhappy remembrance suggested
itself. Miss Hetty's fare must be col
lected, He denounced his negligence
In having failed to provide her with a
pass as he walked through the car and
stepped out on the dummy, tapping her
gently on the shoulder.
"Fare miss?"
The girl looked up with a startled
expression, then dived in the depths of
a Russian leather bag and found "A coin
which she passed to him in silence. He
thrust it into his pocket and vas step
ming back into the car with a vicious
ring of the punch.
asPardon mel My change, if you
please"
The gripman gave him aquiek, mena-
c;no GLANCE. Austin gazed a moment